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Spring Training Ballpark

A History of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

On March 27, 2009: The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community submitted a proposal to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies to build the teams a new home for Spring Training on the Community. If accepted, this would be the first major league Spring Training facility built on tribal land.

July 16, 2009: The Community announced that it had signed a Memo of Understanding with the teams to pursue building this project.

July 23, 2009: The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies announced the location for the new Spring Training facility on Community land. The location, at Indian Bend and Pima Road, is served by two major freeways and is minutes away from Sky Harbor Airport and Scottsdale Airport.

November 16, 2009: In a formal ceremony, ground was broken to construct the newest enterprise of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Designed by HKS architects, the Spring Training facility would be built by Mortenson Construction.

June 4, 2010: The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies announce that the new facility will be called Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. It joins Talking Stick Golf Club and Talking Stick Resort as the latest entertainment venue in the Community's Talking Stick brand.

July 23, 2010: The final pieces of structural steel were added to the roofs of the D-backs and Rockies clubhouses, respectively, and were celebrated in a traditional topping-off ceremony.

February 11, 2011: The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community dedicates the opening of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in a ceremony open to the public.

February 14, 2011: Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers and catchers participate in the first ever workout at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Thousands of fans are in attendance to witness this historic day in D-backs history.

February 19, 2011: The first full-squad workout in Salt River Fields at Talking Stick history takes place as all pitchers and position players arrive at the player development complex to begin preparations for the 2011 season. Prior to the workout, Navy SEALS address the players and coaches in the D-backs Major League clubhouse.

February 26, 2011: The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks compete in the first ever Cactus League game played at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. A sellout crowd of 12,514 is on hand to witness the historic event, which includes a National Anthem sung by the Salt River Elementary and High School Choir and a flyover by five World War II Stearman Biplanes.

March 29, 2011: The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies announce that Salt River Fields at Talking Stick shattered the all-time Major League Baseball Spring Training attendance record by drawing 359,308 during the Cactus League exhibition season. The previous attendance record was held by the Peoria Sports Complex, where 230,146 fans attended San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners games in 2008. The D-backs' attendance of 189,737 shattered the club record of 136,940 fans set in Tucson in 2002 following the club's 2001 World Series win. The D-backs average Spring Training attendance of 11,161 was also the top average attendance in MLB for 2011.

June 27, 2011: The US Green Building Council announces that Salt River Fields at Talking Stick has received LEED Gold Certification for New Construction. The facility is the first LEED certified Spring Training complex ever built.

April 4, 2012: The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies complete the 2012 Spring Training schedule and announce that Salt River Fields at Talking Stick has set a new all-time Major League Baseball Spring Training attendance record by drawing 369,393 fans. 2012 is the second consecutive year that the venue has set the attendance record. The Arizona Diamondbacks also led Major League Baseball with an average game attendance of 11,677.